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DATA QUALITY METADATA FRAMEWORK
Document Overview Introduction Metadata is defined to be data that defines and describes other data. This means that metadata are data, and data become metadata when they are used in this way. Data processing and electronic data interchange rely heavily on data dimensions to be accurate, reliable, controllable and verifiable data recorded in databases. A prerequisite for correct and proper use and interpretation of data is that both users and owners of data have a common understanding of the meaning and representation of the data. To facilitate this common understanding, a number of characteristics, or attributes of the data have to be defined. These characteristics of data are known as metadata. The purpose of these definitions is to specify, describe, explain, and clarify the meaning of data, to promote the standardization or reuse of data elements, and to promote data sharing and integration of information systems. Purpose The purpose is to describe the standardizing and registering of data elements to make data understandable and shareable. Data element standardization and registration allow the creation of a shared data environment in much less time and with much less effort than it takes for conventional data management methodologies. The purpose to give concrete guidance on the formulation and maintenance of discrete data element descriptions and semantic content (metadata) that shall be used to formulate data elements in a consistent, standard manner. It also provides guidance for establishing a data element registry. The purpose breakdown is as follows: • facilitates acquisition and registration of data • expedites access and use of data • simplifies data manipulation by enabling manipulation of data based on characteristics described by metadata • enables the development of a metadata repository • facilitates electronic data interchange and data sharing • benefits the communication of data among information systems. Scope The document applies to basic aspects of data element composition, including metadata. It applies to formulation of data element representations and meaning as shared among systems and data sources. It does not apply to the physical representation of data as bits and bytes at the machine level. The scope specifies requirements and recommendations for constructing definitions for data and metadata. Only semantic aspects of definitions are addressed. These definitional requirements and recommendations pertain to formulating definitions for data elements and other types of data constructs such as entity types, entities, relationships, attributes, object types (or classes), objects, composites, code entries, metadata items, and the data referred to by XML tags. Metadata about data elements is stored in a data element registry. A data element registry supports data sharing with descriptions of data. Data element attributes shall be registered and controlled in a standard way in order to achieve consistency in the exchange of information on data elements among systems and to enable the comparison of data elements used in different data management environments. Metadata Element Guidelines Data elements appear in databases, files, and transaction sets. Data elements are the fundamental units of data that is managed, therefore they must be part of the design of databases and files within the enterprise and all transaction sets the enterprise builds to communicate data between systems. Within the system, databases or files are composed of records, tables, etc. which is composed of data elements. The data elements themselves contain various kinds of data that include characters, numbers, images, etc. When a system needs to transfer data to another system, data elements are the fundamental units that make up the transactions sets. Transactions occur primarily between databases or files, but the structure (i.e. the records) of the files and databases don't have to be the same across systems. So, the common unit for transferring information (data plus understanding) is the data element. The intent is to facilitate ease of use of this document once an understanding of the requirements and recommendations is achieved. A metadata element definition shall: *be stated in the singular The concept expressed by the data definition shall be expressed in the singular. (An exception is made if the concept itself is plural.) • state what the concept is, not only what it is not When constructing definitions, the concept cannot be defined exclusively by stating what the concept is not. • be stated as a descriptive phrase or sentence(s) contain only commonly understood abbreviations Understanding the meaning of an abbreviation, including acronyms and initialise, is usually confined to a certain environment. In other environments the same abbreviation can cause misinterpretation or confusion. Therefore, to avoid ambiguity, full words, not abbreviations, shall be used in the definition. Exceptions to this requirement may be made if an abbreviation is commonly understood such as “i.e.” and “e.g.” or if an abbreviation is more readily understood than the full form of a complex term and has been adopted as a term in its own right. • be expressed without embedding definitions of other data or underlying concepts Definitions of terms should be provided in an associated glossary. If the second definition is necessary, it may be attached by a note at the end of the primary definition's main text or as a separate entry in the dictionary. Related definitions can be accessed cross-reference. • state the essential meaning of the concept All primary characteristics of the concept represented should appear in the definition at the relevant level of specificity for the context. The inclusion of non-essential characteristics should be avoided. The level of detail necessary is dependent upon the needs of the system user and environment. • be precise and unambiguous The exact meaning and interpretation of the defined concept should be apparent from the definition. A definition should be clear enough to allow only one possible interpretation. • be concise The definition should be brief and comprehensive. Extraneous qualifying phrases shall be avoided. • be able to stand alone The meaning of the concept should be apparent from the definition. Additional explanations or references should not be necessary for understanding the meaning of the definition. The poor definition does not stand alone; it requires the aid of a second definition to understand the meaning of the first. • avoid circular reasoning Two definitions shall not be defined in terms of each other. A definition should not use another concept's definition as its definition. This results in a situation where a concept is defined with the aid of another concept that is, in turn, defined with the aid of the given concept. • use the same terminology and consistent logical structure for related definitions A common terminology and syntax should be used for similar or associated definitions. Using the same terminology and syntax facilitates understanding. • be appropriate for the type of metadata item being defined Different types of metadata item in a metadata registry (e.g. data element concept, data element, conceptual domain, value domain) each play a different role and this should be reflected in the definitions. Metadata Data Element Format M = Mandatory